Attention

Wednesday, January 04, 2017

ARIZONA- This week the Chandler Police Department released never before seen surveillance footage of the April 23, 2016 Chandler Walmart shooting incident. Two police officers were ambushed by 24-year old Mitchell Oakley when responding to a trespass call at the store. Oakley opened fire on officers Joshua Pueblo and Daniel Colwell. Mitchell Oakley was killed by officer Colwell.

But what's the worst television contract in all of sports? I thought it was the recent deal that the NBA signed with ESPN and Turner, but I was wrong. Turns out that it's actually ESPN's deal with the NFL which allows ESPN to carry one wild card game each year. This year ESPN will be televising the worst wild card game of the bunch in the worst time slot on the worst day for NFL football, the Oakland Raiders at the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon.

It's a battle between Matt McGloin/Connor Cook and Tom Savage/Brock Osweiler for the right to advance to play the New England Patriots and be executed on live television.

Born in the 1930s and early 40s, we exist as a very special age cohort. We are the Silent Generation. We are the smallest number of children born since the early 1900s. We are the "last ones."

We are the last generation, climbing out of the depression, who can remember the winds of war and the impact of a world at war. which rattled the structure of our daily lives for years. We are the last to remember ration books for everything from gas to sugar to shoes to stoves. We saved tin foil and poured fat into tin cans. We hand mixed ’white stuff’ with ‘yellow stuff’ to make fake butter. We saw cars up on blocks because tires weren't available. We can remember milk being delivered to our house early in the morning and placed in the “milk box” on the porch. (A friend’s mother delivered milk in a horse drawn cart.)

We are the last to hear Roosevelt's radio assurances and to see gold stars in the front windows of our grieving neighbors. We can also remember the parades on August 15, 1945; VJ Day. We saw the 'boys' home from the war build their Cape Cod style houses, pouring the cellar, tar papering it over and living there until they could afford the time and money to build it out.

We are the last generation who spent childhood without television; instead we imagined what we heard on the radio. As we all like to brag, with no TV, we spent our childhood "playing outside until the street lights came on." We did play outside and we did play on our own. There was no little league. There was no city playground for kids.

The lack of television in our early years meant, for most of us, that we had little real understanding of what the world was like, but stamp collecting helped us know more about the World. Our Saturday afternoons, if at the movies, gave us newsreels of the war and the holocaust sandwiched in between westerns and cartoons.

Telephones were one to a house, often a shared "party line" with our neighbors and hung on the wall. Computers were called calculators and were hand cranked; typewriters were driven by pounding fingers, throwing the carriage, and changing the ink. ‘Internet’ and ‘GOOGLE’ were words that didn’t exist. Newspapers and magazines were written for adults. We are the last group who had to find things out for ourselves

As we grew up, the country was exploding with growth. The G.I. Bill gave returning veterans from World War II the means to get an education, and spurred colleges to grow. VA loans to veterans fanned a housing boom. Pent up demand from the war, coupled with new installment payment plans, put factories to work. New highways would bring jobs and mobility. The veterans joined civic clubs and became active in politics.

Liberals are panicking about the fact that President-elect Donald Trump will be able to fill four vacancies on the historically left-leaning Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals when he takes office later this month.

Outgoing Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) called the vacancies a “judicial emergency,” according to Bay Area public radio station KQED, even though there are 29 judges on the court. The “emergency” is that Trump’s nominees might be able to make the court more conservative.

The Ninth Circuit’s jurisdiction covers many West Coast states, and its decisions have often reflected the liberal political culture of California and other “left coast” outposts. Over the past several decades, the frequency with which the U.S. Supreme Court — which had a narrow 5-4 conservative majority until 2016 — reversed Ninth Circuit rulings became a recurring theme. However, the Ninth Circuit has shown flashes of independence, as in recentSecond Amendment rulings.

Snow Hill, Md.- The Tri-County region will “Go Red” for women’s heart health with a free kick-off event 5-8 p.m. on Thursday, February 9 at the Worcester Technical High School, 6290 Worcester Hwy in Newark. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.

While this is a free event, space is limited and pre-registration is required atwww.peninsula.org/GoRedor by calling 410-543-7028.

The evening will feature two local keynote speakers who will talk about women’s heart health issues:

Participants will enjoy visiting vendor tables, health screenings, a gourmet dinner and several other fun activities throughout the evening to promote women’s heart health.

Go Red for Women is a passionate, emotional, social initiative designed to empower women to take charge of their heart health. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in women in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Approximately two-thirds of women who die suddenly from coronary heart disease have no previous symptoms, making regular screening and heart-healthy decisions critical. Go Red’s mission is to “build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke,” by promoting healthy habits, awareness of risk factors, knowledge about heart disease, and by encouraging women to be proactive about their heart health.

The annual event is a collaborative initiative sponsored by the health departments of Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties, Atlantic General Hospital and Peninsula Regional Medical Center.

ANNAPOLIS, MD – Governor Larry Hogan today announced key elements of the administration's environmental agenda for the 2017 legislative session, which includes targeted investments and market-based solutions to protect and preserve Maryland’s environment and natural resources. The governor’s 2017 Environmental Package includes initiatives to grow jobs in green industries, promote the use of electric vehicles, invest in renewable energy innovations, and promote clean water commerce. In total, the proposals outlined by Governor Hogan represent nearly $65 million of investment in Maryland's environment.

“The proposals in our package are innovative, forward-thinking solutions to ensure that Maryland continues to lead the way to safeguard our environment,” said Governor Hogan. “I look forward to working with legislators to get these common sense measures passed. We owe it to the next generation to continue to find cost-effective ways to protect Maryland’s environment and stimulate economic growth.”

Governor Hogan’s 2017 Environmental Package is comprised of four initiatives designed to protect Maryland’s natural resources while fostering economic and job growth. In addition to these targeted proposals, $41 million will be invested in Tier 1 renewable projects through the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, as part of $44 million Exelon must pay in liquidated damages to the State of Maryland. The first of these initiatives is a $3 million targeted investment in Maryland’s EARN Program to train 1,500 workers for jobs in the solar, wind, hydroelectric, and other green industries. This proposal would be Maryland’s first significant investment in workforce training for green jobs.

Governor Hogan also announced his plan to introduce the Clean Cars Act of 2017, which will increase the investment in the Electric Vehicle tax credit program by over 30 percent and double the Charging Station rebate. Increasing these tax credits will make the purchase and use of electric vehicles more affordable and convenient, encouraging Maryland consumers and businesses to invest in this environmentally friendly mode of travel.

At New Year’s Eve celebrations in Dortmund a mob of more than 1,000 men chanted ‘Allahu Akhbar’, launched fireworks at police, and set fire to a historic church.

Already by 7 pm a man was hospitalised with first-degree burns to his face and hands after fireworks were hurled at a group of homeless people outside the city’s main train station. More than two dozen people were injured at festivities in Dortmund, some seriously.

The events of the night were described as “quiet” by police in a statement, and as “normal” by a spokesman for the city government.

But at 11:30pm police announced they were adding to their already much larger than usual presence in the city centre for New Year, sending in further reinforcements of officers.

This came after the force reported there being a “large number of young men from North Africa” in town, with federal police officer Volker Stall noting there was an “aggressive mood” towards the public and police.

WASHINGTON – A push to deliver better customer service is prompting Maryland’s Motor Vehicle Administration to keep its call center open later – until 5:30 p.m. on weekdays.

“This expansion will give citizens more access to MVA services and information at a time that is more convenient for many hardworking Marylanders’ busy schedules,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement. “Our administration is committed to making state government work for the people – not the other way around.”

The extra hour of weekday service comes with no expansion of staff and at no additional cost to taxpayers, the statement said.

As a reminder, House Republicans abruptly voted on Monday night to eliminate the independence of the Office of Congressional Ethics, the chamber’s nonpartisan ethics board which investigates lawmakers' alleged misconduct, largely stripping it of its power, leading to pushback from Democrats and government watchdog groups. House Republicans, meeting as a group Monday night, approved an amendment from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte that would place the office under the oversight of the lawmaker-run House Ethics Committee.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – With daily fantasy sports games drawing in hundreds of thousands of Marylanders, regulations took effect Monday, January 2, to help ensure the games are fair and that winners pay appropriate Maryland taxes.

“Daily online fantasy sports games have a significant presence in Maryland,” Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot said. “It is entirely appropriate that we enforce basic rules to ensure the games are fair, anti-competitive abuses are declared out of bounds, and appropriate taxes are paid.”

The new Maryland regulations:

• Ban daily fantasy sports game participation by Marylanders under 18; professional athletes in games of their individual sport; and employees, principals, officers, directors or contractors of fantasy sports operators (or members of those individuals’ immediate families).

There’s a new buzz in the air. One of the main arteries of the community moves to a new heartbeat and takes on a new identity at a relatively new facility. The Ocean Pines Association has launched a re-branding campaign that honors Charles “Tuffy” Mumford, an early pioneer of the Ocean Pines community. The association is naming the Ocean Pines Yacht Club, which was built in 2014 after the original yacht club-- that was built in 1975-- was replaced, “Mumford’s Landing in Ocean Pines.”

The re-branding campaign is a forward-thinking initiative that will honor the community’s history while creating a promising future for a more marketable amenity. With the new name come a few new services. A 20-foot-long bar, “Tuffy's Tavern,” was recently installed and is now in full operation at Mumford’s Landing. The bar's namesake is Charles "Tuffy" Mumford, for whom the Mumford's Landing area in Ocean Pines is also named. The "Tuffy's Tavern" sign that once hung in the original Yacht Club graces the new bar. Tuffy’s Tavern (seen in an attached photo) will feature take-out service and eight beers on tap.

“If our residents or guests want to pop in later in the evening, they can grab a six-pack or a bottle of wine to enjoy at their house,” said acting general manager of the Ocean Pines Association Brett Hill. “That’s completely new but it’s utilizing an existing license that was granted and previously paid for but never had a means to exercise.”

Hill said the staff is also working toward a finer dining experience.

“In the reconfiguration of the layout, we’ve moved the hostess station out to the front of the building. So now when you come into the door, you are going to be greeted by a hostess. Before when you came in, you were relying on a sign or had to guess which floor or what you were doing.”

Through a private donation, a contracting company that will be hired by the association, will also be installing a playground outside of Mumford’s Landing in Ocean Pines. The pirate-themed playground will be installed in the memory of a “former resident,” Hill said.

“Mumford’s Landing in Ocean Pines” overlooks the Isle of Wight Bay with a marina as a backdrop.

The association will be seeking new hires to operate the new bar, “Tuffy’s Tavern.” Signage will be changed around the facility and Ocean Pines community.

“We are really trying to better identify our food and beverage operations so that nonresidents realize we are open to the public and have a lot to offer,” Hill said.

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s remarks to Congressional Democrats on Obamacare:“Today, President Obama met with Congressional Democrats and urged them to obstruct Republican efforts to reform Obamacare. I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the President would again seek to dictate his policy to Congress and the American public – when his refusal to work six years ago with even a single Republican has helped lead to the failure of Obamacare.

“The American people spoke quite clearly in the recent election. They want Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to solve problems. Obamacare is failing, with skyrocketing insurance costs and much fewer options for coverage.

“In Maryland, the cost of Obamacare insurance premiums increased by 25% in the last year, and now there is only a single HMO plan available on the Eastern Shore. As a result, Obamacare is punishing hard working Americans by claiming more of their paycheck while denying them healthcare options.

“Congress will work to repeal and replace Obamacare this year, keeping popular provisions such as allowing older children to be carried on their parents insurance and coverage of pre-existing conditions. And if you liked your insurance plan or your doctor before Obamacare, you should be able to keep them – which is what the President promised but failed to deliver.

“The outgoing President appears to be plotting ways to obstruct Congress so that he can protect a failing law which was passed without any bipartisan input. That is not how we are going to make American great again.”

A stunning case of corruption inside the Department of Homeland Security was overshadowed by headlines about Russia and Israel this past week. Yet, federal employees accepting millions of dollars in bribes to avoid doing their job, is certainly worth a look.

Hundreds of DHS employees have "looked the other way" as drugs crossed the border because cartels have made them offers they can't refuse. Other employees have sold green cards and other documents illegally. More from The New York Times:

It was not an isolated case. A review by The New York Times of thousands of court records and internal agency documents showed that over the last 10 years almost 200 employees and contract workers of the Department of Homeland Security have taken nearly $15 million in bribes while being paid to protect the nation’s borders and enforce immigration laws.

WASHINGTON — Rumors you may have heard are true: Norfolk Southern will lease 162 miles of its Delmarva Secondary line in Delaware and Maryland to short line operator Carload Express. The new railroad, the Delmarva Central will be the fourth Carload Express short line, and doubles the mileage under the company's control.

The new railroad comprises two segments of the former Pennsylvania Railroad on the Delmarva Peninsula. The main track runs from Porter, Del., about eight miles south of Newark, Del., to Pocomoke City, Md. The second line branches at Harrington, Del., and runs to Frankford, Del. Delmarva is short for the three states that occupy the peninsula between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean: Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.

An NS spokesman says the Class I railroad selected Carload Express because of its ability to turn around underperforming lines, with a carload growth of 40 percent in the past six years. The spokesman says Norfolk Southern executives expect to file documents on the deal with the Surface Transportation Board by the end of 2016.

Former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann had some strong words for a current NFL quarterback who dominated headlines this season: Colin Kaepernick.

Appearing Tuesday on "Outnumbered," Theismann called out the San Francisco 49ers for awarding the team's most prestigious honor to Kaepernick, who sparked controversy this season by refusing to stand for the national anthem.

On Friday, Kaepernick won the Len Eshmont Award, given to the "49er who best exemplifies the inspirational and courageous play of Len Eshmont, an original member of the 1946 49ers team."

"You're a 2-14 football team; he's won one football game. What has he inspired?" Theismann said.

Salisbury, MD … Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver has appointed Weston S. Young, P.E. as the new Assistant Director of Administration.

Young most recently served as the County’s Director of Public Works, a role he assumed in April of 2015 after being promoted from Deputy Director of Public Works. During his tenure, Young managed the $8M Morris Mill water tank and distribution line project, provided an innovative and long term solution to the dredging of the Wicomico River and produced a significant improvement in the Solid Waste Division financial sustainability.

Young attended the University of Maryland, College Park where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in 2005 and is a Professional Engineer licensed in Maryland and Virginia.

Publishers Notes: Not for nothing Ladies & Gentlemen but this has to be the best move County Executive Bob Culver has done to date. While I know the majority of you don't know Weston or his background but there's no doubt in my mind that he will be chosen for many years and many leaders to continue in this position. Wicomico County is very fortunate to have him.

About two years ago, Salt Lake City resident Vincent Janosko saw something while shopping at Walmart that really made his blood boil.

In a Facebook post that wound up going viral, he explained that he observed a non-English-speaking woman pay for her items with an Electronic Benefit Transfer food stamp card and then drive away in a luxury-grade vehicle.

“She didn’t speak English, used EB card, then climbed into that,” he wrote on Facebook. “I work 7 days a week, owe out the a– and put a steady oil supply into my 1991 ford. I don’t get a EBT card.”

WASHINGTON — DNA collected after a sexual assault can be a valuable tool in crime solving, but sexual assault evidence kits, often called rape kits, sometimes go untested.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh is recommending new statewide guidelines for testing and storing rape kits.

“We have three principle recommendations — first, that the rule is that kits be tested. There are exceptions to that, but generally every kit should be tested. Second, the kits should be retained, for 20 years or the statute of limitations, whichever is shorter. And third, victims should be notified first that the kit has been tested and second what the results are,” Frosh said.

Across the state, police departments have different policies for testing and maintaining rape kits. Some departments destroy untested rape kits, others hold on to them for various periods of time. Frosh is asking the Maryland General Assembly to develop uniform guidelines for all departments.

US issued JAR billed itself as an indictment that would prove Russian involvement.

Talk about disappointments. The US government's much-anticipated analysis of Russian-sponsored hacking operations provides almost none of the promised evidence linking them to breaches that the Obama administration claims were orchestrated in an attempt to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.

The 13-page report, which was jointly published Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, billed itself as an indictment of sorts that would finally lay out the intelligence community's case that Russian government operatives carried out hacks on the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Clinton Campaign Chief John Podesta and leaked much of the resulting material. While security companies in the private sector have said for months the hacking campaign was the work of people working for the Russian government, anonymous people tied to the leaks have claimed they are lone wolves. Many independent security experts said there was little way to know the true origins of the attacks.

As the U.S. mainstream media obsessed last week about Russia’s supposed “hacking” of the U.S. elections and President Barack Obama’s final round of Russia sanctions in response, something very important was taking place under the media radar. As a result of a meeting between foreign ministers of Russia, Iran, and Turkey last month, a ceasefire in Syria has been worked out and is being implemented. So far it appears to be holding, and after nearly six years of horrible warfare the people of Syria are finally facing the possibility of rebuilding their lives.

What is so important about this particular ceasefire? It was planned, agreed to, and implemented without the participation of the United States Government.

In fact it was frustration with Washington’s refusal to separate its “moderates” from terrorist groups and its continued insistence on regime change for the Syrian government that led the three countries to pursue a solution on their own for Syria. They also included the Syrian government and much of the opposition in the agreement, which the U.S. government has been unwilling to do.

Two energy drinks contain more than your daily recommended amount of sugar

Energy drinks are equally popular amongst US military personnel as they are with civilians, however the US Army has issued a new report asking their servicemen to stop drinking them in excess.

Although the Army’s warning is specific to troops currently serving, it is still apt for those of us who are not in the military, as these drinks many of us rely on to stay awake during the day are chalk full of caffeine and sugar.

President-elect Donald Trump told a critical biographer and guest of billionaire David Koch to leave his West Palm Beach golf course on New Year’s Eve, forcing Koch to leave with him.

Trump’s gesture was another slight against the pro-amnesty, pro-“free trade” billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch, who opposed Trump during the Republican primary season and refused to help him during the general election. It also signals Trump will not necessarily play nice with the GOP political establishment and Beltway right.

The Kochs swooped in during the Tea Party revolt in 2010, training amateur political activists and trying to channel populist energy against the Obama administration into supporting the progressive-business alliance that wanted more cheap labor and les

Maryland's place on a national ranking of state public schools fell once again this year from fourth to fifth place.

Education Week, the national newspaper that ranks state education systems based on statistical information, placed the state behind Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and New Hampshire on its Quality Counts report which was released Wednesday.

From 2009 through 2013, Maryland held first place in the rankings - a record cited frequently by politicians, business leaders and others looking to attract investment and families to the state. In 2014, Education Week did not rank states. In 2015, the state's place fell after the ranking system changed.

Former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is the leading candidate for secretary of agriculture, according to a report Monday.

Perdue and Trump met in November and Politico reported he is the leading contender for the post.

“I’m interested in helping the country,” Perdue, 70, said after his meeting at Trump Tower.

“I told President-elect Trump that I would be happy to serve from Georgia, where I am very happily living with my wife and 14 grandchildren, or I’d be happy to serve him if he thought I could be helpful to him here in DC.”

Barack Obama is not a standard American president. For one thing, he has made it very clear that he considers the US Constitution, the greatest blessing of this land, to be an easily trashed piece of paper. Abe Lincoln would have disagreed, but then what did Lincoln know? Today's Marxo-Jihadists, who rule our campuses with a reign of PC terror, agree with Obama, and that's all that counts. Dump the Constitution and follow shari'a law, especially you feminists....

So what is Obama doing by imitating his (false) idea of Senator Joe McCarthy. My, my, Dear Leader is suddenly down on Vladimir Putin. What a surprise.

For "evidence" Mr. Obama trots out phony reports attributed to the CIA and FBI, which are totally under his thumb. Mr. Putin isn't taking the bait, because he has a lifetime spent learning about provokatsya as a tool of Soviet pressure politics.

And Putin has rejected Communism in favor of the Russian Orthodox Church, with the approval of more than half of the Russian public, which has traumatic memories of deadly Stalin persecutions, priest killing and church-burnings of the Orthodox faithful. Mr. Putin makes very sure to put his photos with the Patriarch of Moscow on the web, to assure his people that Stalin's persecutions will not happen on his watch. And he promises instant castration to any jihadis who might make trouble (especially the Chechens).

Mass migration from the Muslim world is fast-tracking the Islamization of Germany, as evidenced by the proliferation of no-go zones, Sharia courts, polygamy and child marriages. Mass migration has also been responsible for a host of social disruptions, including jihadist attacks, a migrant rape epidemic, a public health crisis, rising crime and a rush by German citizens to purchase weapons for self-defense — and even to abandon Germany altogether.

Development Minister Gerd Müller warned that the biggest refugee movements to Europe are still to come. He said that only 10% of the migrants from the chaos in Iraq and Syria have reached Europe so far: "Eight to ten million migrants are still on the way."

"There are written instructions ... today we are not allowed to say anything negative about the refugees. This is government journalism, and this leads to a situation in which the public loses their trust in us. This is scandalous." — Wolfgang Herles, Deutschlandfunk public radio.

The Turkish government has sent 970 clerics — most of whom do not speak German — to lead 900 mosques in Germany that are controlled by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB), a branch of the Turkish government's Directorate for Religious Affairs, known in Turkish as Diyanet. Critics accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using DITIB mosques to prevent Turkish migrants from integrating into German society.

A Cologne police superintendent revealed that he was ordered to remove the term "rape" from an internal police report about the mass sexual assaults in Cologne on New Year's Eve. He said that an official at the North-Rhine Westphalia Interior Ministry told him in an angry tone: "This is not rape. Remove this term from your report. Submit a new report."

The German branch of Open Doors, a non-governmental organization supporting persecuted Christians, reported that thousands of Christians in German refugee shelters are being persecuted by Muslims, sometimes even by their security guards.

It’s easy to come up with several different reasons for the Obama administration’s moves against Russia and Israel.

The repudiation of his policies in last month’s election would have wounded a normal person’s ego, to say nothing of someone as vain as President Obama. To rub it in, the press has left the setting to follow the rising sun, reporting so much about President-elect Donald Trump that Obama had seemed quite forgotten.

The extraordinary burst of diplomatic activity over the last week, so unusual for a departing president, might therefore seem a piece of Obama’s petulant claim that he could have defeated Trump had he been able to run for a third term. It reminds one of the party Bill Clinton threw for himself after leaving office on George W. Bush’s Inauguration Day, in order to upstage the new president. When they leave office, recent Democratic presidents find it difficult to withdraw into a customary, dignified obscurity.

But there’s more to it than that. What is behind Obama’s attack on Russia and Israel is a pathetic attempt to tie the hands of the new administration, and to extend his rule beyond the two terms allotted a president.

It’s no secret that Trump seeks an accommodation with Russia and desires an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that he’d pursue this in a very different manner from Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Confirming once again that war, to those who are sent to fight them, is absolute hell, newly released Pentagon statistics show that suicide — not combat — is the leading killer of US troops deployed to the Middle East.

According to a report in USA Today this week, of the 31 troops who have died as of Dec. 27 in Operation Inherent Resolve, 11 have taken their own lives. Eight died in combat, seven in accidents and four succumbed to illness or injury.

These new numbers confirm a trend that’s been in place since the beginning of the prolonged occupation of the Middle East.

According to the DoD report, in 2014, there were 269 deaths by suicide among active component service members (compared to 259 deaths by suicide in 2013).

As bureaucratic fatcats sit back from their lush taxpayer-funded offices in giant marble buildings debating on whether or not to send more troops to the Middle East, this crisis is being ignored. Partly due to the fact that they can’t seem to figure out why troops are killing themselves, the military ‘experts’ are unable to reverse it.

As President Obama reflects on his legacy, a recording of Secretary of State John Kerry conversing with leaders of Syrian opposition groups is casting more light on his approach to ISIS, indicating his administration believed that allowing the Islamic State to grow would serve the White House’s objective of ousting Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Regime change was Obama’s only objective in Syria, Kerry indicates, and the administration not only hoped ISIS would carry out the task, it gave arms to the jihadist army and its allies, confirming WND’s reporting.

Kerry admits the U.S. didn’t calculate that Assad would turn to Russia for help.

A memo from the Department of Homeland Security, which was recently reviewed by Reuters, suggest that the Trump administration plans to hit the ground running on the construction of that U.S.-Mexico border wall when they move into the White House later this month. The memo apparently summarized a meeting held between DHS officials and Trump's transition team on December 5th in which requests were made for an assessment of "all assets available for border wall and barrier construction."

In a wide-ranging request for documents and analysis, President-elect Donald Trump's transition team asked the Department of Homeland Security last month to assess all assets available for border wall and barrier construction.

The requests were made in a Dec. 5 meeting between Trump's transition team and Department of Homeland Security officials, according to an internal agency memo reviewed by Reuters. The document offers a glimpse into the president-elect's strategy for securing the U.S. borders and reversing polices put in place by the Obama administration.

The Trump transition team also allegedly took aim at Obama's executive actions, requesting "copies of every executive order and directive sent to immigration agents since Obama took office in 2009."

The transition team also asked for copies of every executive order and directive sent to immigration agents since Obama took office in 2009, according to the memo summarizing the meeting.

Trump has said he intends to undo Obama's executive actions on immigration, including a 2012 order to allow children brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents to remain in the country on temporary authorizations that allow them to attend college and work.

The program, known as DACA, collected information including participants' addresses that could theoretically be used to locate and deport them if the policy is reversed. Another request of the transition team was for information about whether any migrant records have been changed for any reason, including for civil rights or civil liberties concerns, according to the internal memo seen by Reuters.

Former president George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush announced Tuesday that they would attend Donald Trump's inauguration later this month. And Trump's former rival, Hillary Clinton, and former president Bill Clinton also will attend the ceremony, according to their spokesmen.

The announcements add to what had been a thin list of former presidents slated to attend the event. Former president Jimmy Carter was the only other living president who had agreed to be present.

“They are pleased to be able to witness the peaceful transfer of power — a hallmark of American democracy — and swearing-in of President Trump and Vice President Pence,” the Bush office said in a statement.

Now, many of the same idiots who pushed the Iraq war lies are stirring up hysteria about Russia.

For example, the Washington Post’s editorial page editor Fred Hiatt cheerleaded for the Iraq war. Now, the Washington Post under Hiatt’s leadership has been the main source of the most breathless anti-Russian hysteria.

ABC News political analyst Matthew Dowd – chief strategist for the Bush-Cheney ’04 presidential campaign – was a big booster for the Iraq war. Now, Dowd Tweets that you’re only a patriot if you blindly accept what President Obama and the intelligence services claim without any proof.

George W. Bush’s speechwriter David Frum – who pushed many of the biggest lies about the Iraq war – is now trying to ridicule anyone who doesn’t accept the evidence-less claims that Russia hacked the Democratic party as a Kremlin stooge.

Everyone only thought the interregnum between presidents was “the natural transition,” an orderly march to the beat of neither knives, nor guns or even stones. It’s the way Americans have conducted themselves since George Washington turned the house key over to John Adams.

Until this time. A few embittered denizens of Bubba World pulled a few childish tricks as they left the White House, such as extracting the “W” key from typewriter keyboards. Hillary decamped with a few pieces of her favorite White House furniture. But she sent it back, probably on the advice of lawyers versed in the criminal code. She and Bubba might have been tempted to swipe the bed in the Lincoln Bedroom, but it was so broken down from harsh use by campaign donors that it probably wasn’t worth taking. But no knives have been unsheathed over the centuries, no guns drawn.

Barack Obama is obsessed with what he calls his “legacy,” but doesn’t seem to understand what a legacy is. It’s not something a president or anyone else can write or devise, to put it on a scroll for the National Archives, to be taken out to be read in a ceremony on the Fourth of July.

An authentic presidential legacy is the record of everything a president has done, all the good and bad that he will be remembered for, and President Obama will have a lot to be remembered by and for. A lot of it is what he didn’t deliver of what he promised eight years ago. Someone, perhaps Hillary, perhaps John Podesta, the Democratic campaign chairman, should tell him about the moving finger, the one that writes in bold and legible letters, so that not a single line of all the piety and wit his speechwriters can concoct can be recalled.

Some small-town residents of Rutland, Vt., are upset at their mayor’s decision to resettle 100 Syrian refugees throughout 2017 in the area.

Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras defended his decision, saying the town’s demographics are declining, and they are having trouble recruiting younger workers. He also thinks refugees will bring cultural diversity.

Louras’s decision sparked outrage among some residents who say they had little say in the mayor’s decision, which would effect them all. They formed an advocacy group called Rutland First to pressure Louras to reverse his decision.

SNOW HILL – County leaders agreed this week not to grant the Town of Ocean City’s request for a tax differential.

On Tuesday, the Worcester County Commissioners voted 6-1, with Commissioner Joe Mitrecic opposed, to continue the longtime practice of providing Ocean City, and the county’s other municipalities, with an unrestricted grant in the coming fiscal year. The decision came in spite of the Town of Ocean City’s repeated requests for a tax differential, or a tax setoff, to make up for the duplication of services that occurs between the jurisdictions.

“This motion flies in the face of what the Town of Ocean City has tried to do,” said Mitrecic, who represents Ocean City. “I believe this is going to force the Town of Ocean City’s hand in going to court about this.”

According to Harold Higgins, the county’s chief administrative officer, the debate goes back to 1999. Each year Ocean City leaders have asked the county to provide the resort with some sort of tax break to make up for the services the municipality provides its residents.

A drone with a video camera which crashed in a wooded area on Mount Hevron revealed a European Union (EU) espionage operation intended to spy on and gather intelligence about Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

The footage from the drone was retrieved after it crashed in view of residents of the town of Ma'on in Judea.

The residents took the drone to the Regavim Movement for Preservation of State Lands, which examined the drone and was shocked to discover that it was sent by the EU, supposedly an honest broker, acting in conjunction with residents of Arab towns and villages to spy on Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, some of which contain IDF bases and antennas. The drone contained many such espionage videos, the final one being of its crash.

The Regavim organization blamed the government's failure to act against illegal construction of Arab housing by the EU for this brazen act of espionage against Jewish communities and IDF locations.More here

Rising rents and a lack of leasing opportunities are sweeping the country, forcing Americans to put more money toward their rent than a down payment for a future home.

Renters paid $478.5 billion in total this year, a 3.8% increase from 2015, according to real estate website Zillow. Combined with increasing home values, heavier lender expectations of credit scores and rising interest rates that will push up monthly mortgage repayments, the American dream of owning a home might seem somewhere off in the distance.

“Saving for a down payment is one of the big challenges for renters,” said Aaron Terrazas, a senior economist at Zillow. The ideal portion of income going toward rent is anywhere between 0% and 30%, he said, though that isn’t always feasible incertain cities. Anything more and the ability to save becomes less likely.

Incoming White House press secretary Sean Spicer is trying to shift the current political narrative in the mainstream press of “Russia helped Donald Trump get elected by hacking and releasing emails damaging Hillary Clinton” to “Americans should punish Hillary Clinton for her dishonest actions during the election.”

On Sunday, speaking on ABC’s This Week, Spicer was asked if Trump was willing to agree with U.S. intelligence agencies which determined that Russian hackers attempted to undermine the U.S. presidential election.

Spicer changed the subject, pointing out correctly that Clinton acted unethically when a CNN employee gave her debate questions prior to a debate. He noted:

The fact of the matter is, we’re having part of a conversation. Why aren’t we talking about the other influences on the election? Why aren’t we talking about Hillary Clinton getting debate questions ahead of time? That’s a pretty valid attempt to influence an election, somebody giving her to the debate questions and the answers of an election. . . No one is asking those questions. And the fact is that everyone wants to make Donald Trump admit to certain things. When are we going to start talking about the other side of this, which is what did Hillary Clinton do to influence the election? Is she being punished in any way?

I can tell you this, if my boss at the time, Reince Priebus, had gotten the debate questions, and handed them off, he would have been driven out of this town on a stake, and Donald Trump would have been vilified. No one wants to ask those questions now.

Editor’s Note: Current theories are that he sought asylum in Russia or Akrancide… where do you think Braverman went?

Twitter users have started the hashtag #WheresEric in reference to Eric Braverman, the former CEO of the Clinton Foundation, because some think he has been a possible missing person since before the November 2016 U.S. election. Braverman’s last public activity, accessible via the internet, was an October 12 retweet.

A common understanding of the events surrounding Braverman’s possible disappearance centers around his abrupt resignation from the Clinton Foundation in January 2015, which many thought was caused by his discovery of internal corruption at the non-profit organization. Braverman named was CEO in July 2013 during the immediate aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State which ended February 2013.

Six people including NAACP President and CEO Cornell William Brooks have been arrested during a sit-in staged at the Mobile office of Sen. Jeff Sessions.

While there were about 30 protesters at the sit-in when it began around midday on Tuesday, many of them left before the arrests were made by the Mobile Police Department just before 7:00 p.m.

The remaining members that were arrested were: Alabama State Conference President, Benard Simelton, Humanity in Action Fellow, Devon Crawford, the President of Mobile Chapter 5044, Lizzetta McConnell, National Director of the Youth and College Division of NAACP, Stephen Green and Joe Keffer.

Between 2012 and 2015, 1,565 refugees were diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB) in the United States, according to annual reports published by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The CDC data, which has been public but obscure until now, shows that the number of refugees diagnosed with active TB in recent years is more than three times greater than previously reported by any media outlet.

The number of refugees diagnosed with TB in the United States has increased every year since 2012, the first year the CDC began publishing data on foreign-born cases of the disease by category, when 358 were diagnosed. In 2013, 396 refugees were diagnosed with TB. The following year, 2014, 402 refugees were diagnosed with TB, and in 2015, the number of refugees diagnosed with TB rose again to 409. Data for 2016 has not yet been reported.

Foreign-born TB cases as a percentage of all TB cases diagnosed in the United States increased from 63.1 percent in 2012 to 66.4 percent in 2015.

Good Morning! We're watching not one but two weather systems that could bring wintry precipitation to parts of the forecast area late this week. Here are our initial thoughts with that *first* wave of precipitation, arriving Thursday night into Friday morning.

We continue to watch the second and more complex weather system, which could impact our area late Friday into Saturday. Our forecast confidence remains LOW for this period given continued model uncertainty. Regardless, now is the time to review your winter readiness checklists, and keep an eye on the forecast in the coming days. Please monitor weather.gov/Wakefield for the latest forecast information.

Just heard a call for Salisbury paramedic. The bariatric unit was needed to respond to Cambridge for a patient with difficulty breathing. It was somewhere near the Walmart. I heard them say to turn left at Walmart and the home was back there somewhere. Does SFD have more than 1 bariatric unit? What happens if they need one here? Seems odd they call them from that far away.